“Take a dive” into Casa Bonita’s job portal starting Thursday, as the iconic Denver restaurant begins the hiring process for more than 550 positions to prepare for announced May opening.

Those openings include cliff divers, kitchen staff and bartenders. 

Casa Bonita officials announced Thursday the restaurant needs 150 kitchen team members, 140 servers, 40 bartenders, 40 cashiers, 30 entertainers and more, starting this month, according to a news release.

Job descriptions and application information is available at casabonitajobs.com.

The 48-year-old landmark restaurant, located at 6715 W. Colfax Ave. in Lakewood, is widely loved by Coloradans and known for its cliff divers, roaming mariachi bands and sopapillas ordered by raising a table flag.

Some of the roles will begin immediately, while others will start over the coming weeks and months.

“We’re looking for the most motivated, energetic, committed and creative people to join our team,” according to the release.

Think you’ve got what it takes to be a cliff diver? Here’s the list of job duties:

• Diving from a platform of 16-25 feet
• Performing front dives (half, twist, pike, flip), back dives (half, twist, flip), and inward dives (tuck, pike, straight)
• Memorizing scripts, learning cues, and performing staged stunts, romance or choreographed combat
• Being in-character for 3 to 6 consecutive hours at a time (with appropriate breaks)

Among the many job requirements are two years of diving experience, a “never-break-character attitude,” a passion for safety and following diving rules, a good sense of humor and “ability to laugh at the absurdities of life.”

The news comes after last month’s announcement that the restaurant is reopening this May after being bought and renovated by “South Park” creators Matt Parker and Trey Stone.

In a YouTube video, Parker, Stone and Chef Dana “Loca” Rodriguez announced the reopening with construction continuing in the background.

Prior to Stone and Parker buying the famed restaurant for $3.1 million in 2021, then owners Summit Family Restaurants closed Casa Bonita due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The future was uncertain.

“Casa Bonita has brought so much joy to so many people over the years — we wanted to share the news of our May reopening as our holiday gift to the people of Colorado,” Rodriguez said in a release.

Rodriguez, who also owns and operates Cantina Loca, Super Mega Bien, Work & Class, is a 5-time James Beard Award nominee and a 2022 finalist.

She said in prior interviews menu staples like enchiladas and, of course, the famous sopapillas will return — but all will be made in-house.

“The difference will be we’re making the tortillas in house. And we make the sauces in house and bringing in the real Mexican cheese to make it good,” Rodriguez said. “That’s the important thing, we’re going to make everything way better than it used to be.”

Denver Gazette reporter Alex Edwards contributed to this story.